Figurines, such as dolls, have existed for centuries. Today's dolls typically have manually manipulable legs, arms and heads. These dolls may be articulated to assume many different positions. However, these dolls are generally considered static as they do not move under their own power.
To overcome this static problem, dolls which can dance or skate have been designed which include a gyroscope mounted within the body of the doll, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 99,644, 1,098,895, 1,584,979, 2,148,374 and 2,195,083. The gyroscope allows the dolls to balance and rotate upon one leg. The U.S. Pat. Nos. 99,644, 1,098,895 and 2,195,083 show dolls having a pivot leg aligned with the axis of rotation of the gyroscope wheel. These dolls on the most part however simply rotate in one place. The U.S. Pat. No. 1,584,979 shows a doll having a leg which pivots outwardly due to the centrifugal force upon the leg as the doll rotates. The U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,098,895 and 2,148,374 show mobile improvements on the basic concepts. The doll of the U.S. Pat. No. 1,098,895 has an arm which pivots, thereby changing the centrifugal force and thus the speed of doll rotation. The doll of the U.S. Pat. No. 2,148,374 has its pivot leg point of contact with the underlying surface offset from the gyroscopes axis of rotation. The offset causes the doll to move along the underlying supporting surface. These dolls however typically have a limited range of motions, and thus quickly become uninteresting to a child.
It thus is seen that a need remains for a figurine which can move under its own power in different manners. It is to the provision of such that the present invention is primarily directed.